Refrigerator cabinet breaker strip



y 1955 A. v. LANDER ElAL REFRIGERATOR CABINET BREAKER STRIP 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9, 1953 lNVE/VTOR M1 y 1955 A. v. LANDER ETAL 2,708,529

REFRIGERATOR CABINET BREAKER STRIP Filed March 9, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 1955 A. v. LANDER ETAL REFRIGERATOR CABINET BREAKER STRIP 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 9, 1953 a 32a 44a FY66 24a REFRIGERATOR CABINET BREAKER STRIP Arthur "alentine Lander, Brookshill, Harrow Weald, and Louis W. Gonna, Kenton, Middlesex, England, and Nelson J. Smith, Nenilly (Seine), France, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application March 9, 1953, Serial No. 341,292

4 Claims. (Cl. 220-9) Such a strip can be used as a door opening moulding of a breaker strip and can be adapted to effect a seal around a door or like opening.

An object of the invention is to provide a strip which is resilient and comprises two overlapping flaps the inner surface of at least one of the flaps having longitudinal serrations adapted to engage and be retained by one or more tongues on one of the members.

The strip may thus be of U-cross section: and one of the limbs of the U may be longer than the other. If desired a further flap may be formed on the strip so that it is of Y-cross section. In any case one of the flaps is adapted to be interposed and held tightly between the surfaces to be juxtaposed.

Two or more tongues may be used and they may be of different lengths.

Preferably the tongue or tongues is or are formed on a clip adapted to be fastened to one of the members. The clip may be of resilient material and of U-form with the tongue or tongues bent out from one of the limbs thereof.

The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and how it can be carried into eflfect is hereinafter particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a domestic refrigerator cabinet embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a partial section on line IIlI of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the resilient strip shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the spring clip shown in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the resilient strip and spring clip, of Figures 3 and 4 respectively, assembled together;

Figure 6 is a partial section, similar to Figure 2, of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the resilient strip of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the spring clip of Figure 6; and

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the resilient strip and spring clip, of Figures 5 and 6 respectively, assembled together.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing is applied to a refrigerator cabinet 8 (Figure 1) comprising an outer shell 10 (Figure 2) and an inner shell 12 between which is a quantity of heat-insulating material 14. The outer shell has a flange 16 and the inner shell a flange 18 to which is attached an L-section strip 20. Attached to the strip 20 are a number of U-shaped spring clips 24 (Figures 2, 4 and 5) held by projections or indentations 26 which fit into a slot 22 in strip 20. On the inner limb 28 of each clip 24 are two tongues 30, 32.

On the flange 18 is secured, by means of screw 36, a bracket 34 which has an offset end part 38. Between the inner shell 12 and the outer shell 10 is the resilient strip 40 of the invention. The strip 4i) (Figures 2, 3 and 5) has two opposed flaps 42 and 44, and a tail 46. On the inner surface 48 of flap 44 are a number of serrations 50. At the end of the flap 42 is a bulbous part 52 and at the end of the tail 46 is a curled part 54.

The resilient strip 40 is movable transversely of its length so that part of strip 20 is between the flaps 42 and 44 of the strip 40 and so that the serrations 50 on the inner surface 48 of the flap 44 engage the inwardly projecting tongues 30, 32 on the clips 24 and are held thereby. The outer flap 42 covers the outer surface of the flange 16 of the outer shell 10 and forms a moulding or trim strip for the door opening.

The curled part 54 engages the offset part 38 of bracket 34 and is held therein by sealing compound 56. The strip 40 can be of any resilient material such as a copolymer of styrene.

To fix the strip 40 into the cabinet 8 it is slid into position so that the flaps 42, 44 straddle the flange 16 carrying the spring clips 24 and the tongues 30, 32 ride over the serrations 50 which act as a ratchet to hold the strip 40 in place in its final position.

In this embodiment the strip 40 is acting as a heat insulator between the inner and outer shells 10, 12 of the cabinet 8.

In the modification shown in Figures 6 to 8 inclusive, the same reference numerals are used for similar parts and the addition of an a to a reference numeral indicates a modification of that part. L-section strip 20 is not used and the spring clip 24 is mounted, in the same way as before, directly on the flange 16. The spring clip 24a itself is modified so that the tongues a, 32a project from the part of the clip 24a where it is bent back on itself. The strip a is modified so that the flaps 42a, 44a can be forced apart the full width of the spring clip 24a.

The tongues 30, 32 on the clip 24 and 30a, 32a on clip 24a can be of different lengths.

The strips 40, 40a can be modified to act as a seal between the door and the cabinet in which case the strip can either be made of softer material or can have a tubular part at the end of one of its arms adapted to be engaged by the outer door when it is closed.

We claim:

1. A refrigerator cabinet having a compartment provided with an access opening, said cabinet including spaced apart inner and outer shell-like wall members having insulating material disposed in the space therebetween, said wall members having spaced edge portions in the vicinity of said compartment access opening, a resilient non-metallic breaker strip bridging the space between said edge portions of said wall members, a metal spring clip secured to the edge portion of one of said wall members, said spring clip being provided with a tongue projecting therefrom, the end of said tongue substantially facing said one wall member and being directed away from the other of said wall members, one edge of said breaker strip being provided with overlapping flaps forming a channel therebetween, the inner surface of at least one of said flaps having serrations therein extending longitudinally along the length of said breaker strip, said overlapping flaps of said breaker strip being slid over the edge portion of said one wall member to position said spring clip in the channel between said flaps on said resilient breaker strip, said tongue on said spring clip fitting into one of the serrations on said breaker strip to lock said strip to the edge portion of said one cabinet wall member, and means for anchoring the other edge of said breaker strip to the edge portion of the other of said cabinet wall members.

2. A refrigerator cabinet having a compartment provided with an access opening, said cabinet including spaced apart inner and outer shell-like wall members having insulating material disposed in the space therebetween, said wall members having spaced edge portions in the vicinity of said compartment access opening, a resilient non-metallic breaker strip bridging the space between said edge portions of said wall members, a metal spring clip secured to the edge portion of one of said wall members, said spring clip being provided with a tongue projecting therefrom, the end of said tongue substantially facing said one wall member and being directed away from the other of said Wail members, one edge of said breaker strip being provided with overlapping flaps forming a channel therebetween, the inner surface of at least one of said flaps having a plurality of spaced parallel serrations therein extending longitudinally along the length of said breaker strip, said overlapping flaps of said breaker strip being slid over the edge portion of said one wall member to position said spring clip in the channel between said flaps on said resilient breaker strip, said tongue on said spring clip being slidable over certain of said serrations and fitting into a certain other serration on said breaker strip to lock said strip to the edge portion of said one cabinet wall member, the other edge of said breaker strip being curled over to provide a hook therealong, and means for receiving said hook and anchoring the same to the edge portion of the other of said cabinet wall members.

3,. A refrigerator cabinet having a compartment provided with an access opening, said cabinet including spaced apart inner and outer shell-like wall members having insulating material disposed in the space therebetween, a door for said compartment access opening, said wall members having spaced edge portions in the vicinity of said compartment access opening, a resilient non-metallic breaker strip bridging the space between said edge portions of said wall members, a metal spring clip secured to the edge portion of one of said wall members, said spring clip being provided with a tongue projecting therefrom, the end of said tongue substantially facing said one wall member and being directed away from the other of said Wall members, one edge of said breaker strip being provided with overlapping flaps forming a channel therebetween, the inner surface of at least one of said flaps having a plurality of serrations therein extending longitudinally along the length of said resilient breaker strip, said overlapping flaps of said breaker strip being slid over the edge portion of said one wall member to position said spring clip in the channel between said flaps on said breaker strip, said tongue on said spring clip fitting into one of the serrations on said one flap of said breaker strip to lock said strip to the edge portion of said one cabinet wall member, means for anchoring the other edge of said breaker strip to the edge portion of the other of said cabinet wall members, and the end of the outer fiap on said resilient breaker strip having an enlarged bulbous part thereon engaging said one cabinet Wall member and providing a sealing bead along said one edge of said strip adapted to be engaged by said compartment access opening closing door.

4. A refrigerator cabinet having a compartment provided with an access opening, said cabinet including spaced apart inner and outer shell-like wall members having insulating material disposed in the space therebetween, a door for said compartment access opening, said wall members having spaced edge portions in the vicinity of said compartment access opening, a resilient non-metallic breaker strip bridging the space between said edge portions of said wali members, a metal spring clip secured to the edge portion of one of said wall members, said spring clip being provided with a. tongue projecting therefrom, the end of said tongue substantially facing said one wall member and being directed away from the other of said wall members, one edge of said breaker strip being provided with inner and outer overlapping flaps forming a channel therebetween, the inner surface of said inner flap having a plurality of spaced parallel serrations therein extending longitudinally along the length of said resilient breaker strip, said inner and outer overlapping flaps of said breaker strip being slid over the edge portion of said one wall member to position said spring clip in the channel between said flaps on said breaker strip, said tongue on said spring clip being slidable over certain of said plurality of serrations and fitting into a certain other of said serrations on said breaker strip to lock said strip to the edge portion of said one cabinet wall member, the other edge of said breaker strip being curled over to provide a hook therealong, means for receiving said hook and anchoring the same to the edge portion of the other of said cabinet wall members, and the end of said outer flap on said resilient breaker strip having an enlarged bulbous part formed thereon engaging said one cabinet wall member and providing a sealing bead along said one edge of said strip adapted to be engaged by said compartment access opening closing door.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,052,898 Schweller Sept. 1, 1936 2,304,292 Wile Dec. 8, 1942 2,313,812 Dufiy Mar. 16, 1943 2,367,886 Nauert Jan. 23, 1945 2,542,350 Paulsen Feb. 20, 1951 2,544,321 lwashita Mar. 6, 195i 2,582,862 Frykdahl Jan. 15, 1952 

